1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to media distribution, and, more particularly, to software, systems and methods for distributing media from media producers to consumers in a manner that is consistent with relationships between producers and consumers.
2. Relevant Background.
Media is a blanket term referring to audio, video, images, and the like, that capture real or fictional events for distribution and presentation. Digital media refers to sound, pictures, text and video available in a digital format suitable for transfer across digital communication networks such as the Internet or other network. A media presentation comprises one or more media components (e.g., clips, images, tracks, files, scenes and the like) that are communicated to a presentation devices such as a computer, set top box (STB), television, radio, cellular phone or other device capable of “playing” the media components to a subscriber or consumer. In an important sense, a major goal of media production, distribution, and playback technology is to control the quality, timing and content of the presentation in a manner that communicates a desired message to the consumer.
Conventional media distribution is driven by existing infrastructure for transporting the media components from a producer to a consumer. Before the advent of communication technologies such as telephones and over-the-air broadcasting, communication was person-to-person. In other words, a story-teller (producer) was in direct contact with the audience (consumer) for a particular presentation. In this environment the producer could directly control the message that was conveyed and the consumer could directly control what messages he/she wished to perceive because the association between media producer and consumer was direct and unavoidable. Moreover, the lack of a communication infrastructure meant that there was no infrastructure that could interfere with or affect this association between the producer and consumer.
Once communication infrastructures separated producers and consumers, the ability to control the quality, timing and content of the presentation was necessarily affected. In conventional radio/television broadcast, for example, content is supplied on rigorously defined schedule. Producers must supply media to meet the schedule and consumers must retrieve and view presentations at scheduled times. Producers must select amongst the available distribution technologies such as radio, television and movies because it is difficult or impossible to target a presentation using all technologies. Likewise, consumers are restricted to playing the presentation on devices chosen by others. Moreover, producers are forced to produce media that is more often than not designed for mass appeal to justify the costs of the infrastructure. Similarly, consumers must compromise their desire to receive a particular message in favor of receiving a presentation designed for a general audience. As a result, media producers and consumers are becoming increasingly alienated from each other.
Communication infrastructures are implemented by communication “utilities” such as telephone companies, cable companies, satellite companies and the like. Each of these technologies has advantages and limitations with respect to the others, and each was developed to transport particular types of media. For example, television signals were allocated to particular portions of the radio frequency spectrum and required particular signal formats. In order to use television as a distribution channel, the media (as well as the producers and consumers) were dependent upon the infrastructure. Now, however, digital media can be transported across all of the various communication infrastructures.
Independently, there is an ongoing proliferation of consumer devices for playing digital media. These devices not only provide new, convenient modes of playing media, but are often able to couple to multiple communication infrastructures. For example, a relatively inexpensive home computer can connect to media sources directly, through local area networks, through the telephone, cable and wireless connections to the Internet, as well as receive conventional television, radio and cable broadcasts. Devices that were once special-purpose or task-specific devices are now able to be general-purpose media presentation devices. As a result, content and application owners are adopting media delivery solutions that decrease their reliance upon proprietary technologies and closed systems typical of the existing communications infrastructure.
However, in spite of the improving technologies for producing and displaying content, the infrastructure for delivering content continues to govern the producer-consumer relationship. Owners of the communication infrastructure compete with each other for customers, often by competing for exclusive rights to the content that is transported over their infrastructure. Also, communication utilities create complex billing and service bundling in an attempt to bind customers to particular delivery technologies. This has further alienated consumers and producers in that the infrastructure entities are actively seeking to limit the manner in which digital media is delivered even though the technology for distribution is no longer dependent on the infrastructure. Accordingly, a need exists for systems, methods and software that enable media distribution in a manner that re-establishes and/or preserves the essential association between producers and consumers of the media.